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Russia celebrates 20th anniversary as INTERPOL member country

Commitment to world policing recognized by INTERPOL chief

EKATERINBURG, Russia – Marking the 20th anniversary of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics membership of INTERPOL, Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said the country’s dedication to international law enforcement had ‘placed Russia at the forefront of global policing.’

Addressing the All-Russia Heads of National Central Bureaus (NCB) Seminar meeting in Ekaterinburg, the head of the world policing body said their efforts meant that INTERPOL ‘can connect together police forces from different continents to achieve results in the field, close to where crime strikes every day.’

In addition to being among the first countries to connect to I-24/7 - INTERPOL’s secure global police communications system - Russia has implemented one of the widest expansion programmes to provide access to INTERPOL’s services beyond the NCB, with more than 40 remote sites now connected across the country.

This expansion has seen Russia conduct more checks of INTERPOL’s stolen motor vehicles database than any other member country, and a rise in the number of its searches against INTERPOL’s databases on criminals and terrorists from just under 3,000 in 2003, to more than three million in 2010.

“It is this proactive approach that will allow us to strike new victories against our common enemies, such as organized crime.” said Secretary General Noble. “At times of deep financial crisis around the world, crime syndicates are a threat not only to the security of citizens, but also to the stability of entire financial and political systems.

“Twenty years ago, when the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics became a member of the INTERPOL family, the world was a very different place than it is today.

“While we cannot know what changes will take place over the next 20 years, what we can say is that the support which INTERPOL receives from member countries such as Russia will play a central role in ensuring that we do all that we can to make the world a safer place.”

During his mission to Russia, Secretary General Noble met with Minister of the Interior, General Rashid Nurgaliev who underlined his country’s ongoing commitment to INTERPOL and the wider law enforcement community.

“We are proud to celebrate 20 years of membership of INTERPOL, and proud of the contribution that Russia has made during these years to world policing,” said Minister Nurgaliev.

“We will continue to play a central role in working with law enforcement across the globe, to protect the safety and security of our citizens at home and abroad, and of visitors to our country,” added the Minister.

In 2007, the INTERPOL Anti-Heroin Smuggling Training Centre was officially opened in Domodedovo, providing comprehensive training in combating illegal drug trafficking to more than 2,000 officers a year from around the world, and in 2008, Russia hosted the 77th General Assembly in St Petersburg, one of the largest in INTERPOL’s history.